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Cabela’s in 2002 made headlines and made a lot of sports enthusiasts happy when it opened in the popular Village West in Wyandotte County near the Kansas Speedway. Cabela’s, based in Nebraska, recently announced plans to open a second area store in Lee’s Summit.

That could be iffy because of the Bass Pro deal. Bass Pro has two area stores — one in Olathe and the other in Independence.

They pretty much capture the shopping interests of outdoors men and women for hunting, fishing, boating and other sporting needs. The two companies have been exploring combining for about a year.

Bass Pro Shops is based in Springfield, Mo., and has been around since 1971. Cabela’s started in 1961.

Each has close to 100 retail stores. They are so popular that they remain tourist attractions in the communities where they are located, drawing customers to the Kansas City area from miles around.

But the landscape could change with the deal that’s been struck. Let’s hope that there’s enough distance between the Cabela’s in Kansas City, Kan., and the Bass Pro Shops in Olathe and Inedependence for each to continue to operate and keep area sports enthusiasts well-stocked with what they need to have fun.